


Mistakes

by lightofdaye



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Angst, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 12:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2025441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightofdaye/pseuds/lightofdaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robb considers the fate of his hostage: Myrcella Baratheon</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> Written way back in Round 6 of the [A Song Of Ice And Fire Kinkmeme](asoiafkinkmeme) on Livejournal.

Robb Stark, Lord of Winterfell, hefted the axe he had found in Winterfell’s armoury. It was a new one. Mikken had made it recently. It was plain, with a single crescent blade and heavy haft of oak, polished smooth and banded with black iron.

It was not the equal of his father’s valyrian sword, Ice, but it would do to take a girl’s head off. 

He had Princess Myrcella Baratheon locked in her rooms. There was a loyal guard at her door, a winterfell guard. Her previous protector, Ser Arys Oakheart of the Kingsguard was locked in one of Winterfell’s cells. He’d overcome the man in his sleep, Robb knew it hadn’t been honourable, but it had been necessary. It was either that or try to take one of the finest knights of the realm while he was fully armed and armoured. That would have gotten people killed, that would have been a mistake.

Mistakes. Robb had made many of them recently. He had been slow to accept his duty. Slow to call his bannerman to arms, even when there were reports of Raiders in the Riverlands. He’d only called them as a last resort; when King Robert had died and the Lannisters had thrown his father in the dungeon. Even then, he’d thought of it as a show of strength. A warning to King’s Landing. He did expect to have to use his army because he had his hostage, the Princess. It was a harsh term to apply to his betrothed but it was true he did not think the Lannister woman would risk her daughter’s laugher. He’d expect a Raven to come with terms for him.

Instead the Raven had come this morning with the news that King Joffery had executed his father.

Obviously Joffery did not care about the life of his sister.

There was a swish and thwack as Robb swung the axe, testing its weight and balance. Had anyone been there to see him, they would have been scared off him. He was not crying, nor raging. His face showed not one hint of emotion. His father might have been proud of that if he hadn’t known of the turmoil beneath Robb’s frozen exterior.

Theon had made it seem simple. Made it seem right. They had killed their hostage, Robb must kill his or they would loss all fear of him.

Maester Luwin had said that he could not advise him one way or the other on matters of such import. He agreed with Theon that hostages held no value, if your opponent did not value them or did not think you would harm them. He also stressed that executing Myrcella would not bring his father back and that if he killed her, he would no longer have a hostage, while the Lannisters still held his own sisters, Sansa and Arya. 

The Man who passes sentence, must swing the blade. His father’s voice echoed in his mind repeating words he’d told Robb after every execution they’d attended. If you cannot bear to look into a man’s eyes and hear his last words, then maybe the man does not deserve to die.

Myrcella had brilliant green eyes, they went spectacularly with her golden blonde curls. Robb tried to think of them looking up at him from a headman’s block and a physical shudder passed through him. He tried to think what her last words might be. Myrcella was soft, gentle and sweet, Jon had called her insipid when they first saw her. She might come to the block scared and weeping.

But Robb had got to know her the last several months , she and Oakheart had stayed in Winterfell as his betrothed when their fathers went south to King’s Landing. Considering his mother and Ser Rodrik had left the castle as well thereafter, leaving him and Myrcella unchaperoned aside from Maester Luwin, he probably knew her too well. Beneath the refinement and manners of a court lady Myrcella had some steel to her, she knew her duty as princess, she would understand why she had to die and come to the block cool and emotionless.

It didn’t matter, in either case, Robb knew Myrcella did not deserve to die. She had no part in any court intrigue, no responsibility for his father’s death except the family she was born into. The question was not did she deserve it? The question was did his duty demand her death?

He set aside the axe and left the armoury. There was a guard outside it.

“Bring Princess Myrcella to my solar.” He commanded.

She deserved at least to know what was going on. Deserved to know what he was going to with her. That he wasn’t going to kill her.

He tried to tell himself it was honour and duty that was staying his hand. Not that it would break his heart to take the axe to her.

It was most likely a mistake he knew. Joffery would see it was weakness. But it was a mistake that he could live with.


End file.
